Ring the Bells
by OurLoveIsForever
Summary: The Christmas of the past didn't have hope. The Christmas of the present had redemption and peace. Christmas in the future? Well, it held everything else. Asteria/Draco. Complete.
1. The Past

**Ring the Bells**

**By: OurLoveIsForever**

**The Past**

Staring blankly at the Christmas tree, she sighed. The Christmas spirit certainly didn't exist within the dark confines of that dungeon, no matter how hard some of them tried to cheer the dismal space up. The elves had provided the supplies as asked, but it seemed that no amount of tinsel and candles were placed about the common room, the outcome remained cold.

It was a bit pointless, truly, to try and be happy for the holidays, especially after the first semester. Christmas carols mixed with screams and cries didn't necessarily inspire dreams of gumdrops and dancing animated nutcrackers. No, Christmas was something akin to a sick joke now. Dark humor in the midst of an even darker reality.

Shifting her position a bit, she finally removed her gaze from the large conifer. One of the other girls sitting on the leather couch across from her stood, obviously growing restless. There was another loud scream that made the youngest of the group cringe noticeably.

"And a partridge in a pear tree." Daphne sang under her breath, eyeing her sister's tense form. "Maybe you should get to sleep."

"I'm not tired. You can go ahead. I'm going to sit out here for a little longer." Asteria waved her hand vaguely and turned her stare back to the tree, trying to seem disinterested. Disinterest was something she could feign in a heartbeat and with a rather frightening amount of conviction.

Daphne nodded silently, standing, knowing when to acquiesce to her sister's demands. Most of the time, the younger Greengrass girl preferred to be alone. The other young women, Daphne's posse, for lack of a better term, followed behind her as they left the common room to its lone occupant.

Asteria didn't really bother to acknowledge that the only other girls in Slytherin at that time were leaving her to her thoughts. It didn't really matter anyway. There would be no gift exchange that year. There was no way to receive packages from the outside. Even if there was, she and her sister would not receive any for her parents were deep in hiding. No, there would be no presents.

It wasn't that the gifts themselves mattered, really. It was the metaphor that was significant. The presents represented the innocence. The innocence that was lost in this ridiculous war. Christmas itself had become a shadow, a apparition of its former self, brought low by the vile hate of a madman.

Nonetheless, the magicked lights on the tree twinkled and glistened with no ears for the screams that echoed through the castle. Even if they couldn't hear, she could. Those were her friends, comrades and contemporaries that were being tortured just down the hall. On Christmas Eve, no less. Those that had nowhere to go, like she, were holed up within the castle walls. Everyone knew that there would be no Christmas dinner, no happy faces on Christmas morning.

A particularly loud scream made Asteria jerk from her reverie. Flinching out of habit, her hand went for her wand quickly as tears began to prick at her eyes. Her hand pointed toward the decrepit radio box along the wall behind the tree, charming it to begin playing Celena Warbeck's holiday tunes, effectively drowning out the cries for help.

Being that it was well past midnight, she knew that there would be no visitors to the common room, leaving her alone to do as she would. And she did, drawing her knees up to her chest.

'_Darkness is approaching _

_Like a dementor bringing sadness and pain_

_But what can we do now,_

_When the snow has turned to rain?'_

Her eyes began to fill with tears for the first time since she had entered Hogwarts.

'_Bring on the fight, _

_We'll raise up this light_

_Because we have that right _

_To still believ—'_

The music shut off suddenly, ripping Asteria from her distracted state. She raised her head and searched for the culprit while drawing a sleeve over her eyes. Whoever had turned off the song was in for it when she found them.

He was hidden well in the shadows, but she could still see the glint of white-blond hair shining in the firelight. With the mood she was in, she really didn't care what kind of harbinger he was that evening, she wasn't going to back down. Silently, she pulled her wand up and pointedly glared at him as she turned the music back on.

'—_ing the bells and sound the fife _

_We're going to bring Christmas back to life_

_We don't know if we'll be alive _

_To see that day com_—'

"Do it again. I dare you."

His voice was challenging, dangerous and a warning. She regarded him for a moment, taking in his slightly disheveled appearance and messed hair before willing the music on again. This time there was no time for the voice to emit before he send a charm to make the ancient thing begin to smoke.

Asteria stared at the radio as it fell into disrepair then looked to see Malfoy's self-satisfied smirk. She fought of the urge to curse him herself but knew that she didn't posses the skill to make it out of a duel alive. Instead, she made her own form of rebellion and for some reason, she felt the by doing this she was even going against the Carrows, in her own small way.

'_Ring the bells and sound the fife _

_We're going to bring Christmas back to life_

_We don't kn—_'

"Stop bloody singing!"

'—_ow if we'll be alive _

_To see that day com_—'

He crossed the common room faster than she could react, throwing a silencing spell at her before she had time to even think. It was then that she began to panic. There was a furious glint in Draco Malfoy's eyes that made her shiver with fear. And then, there was something that also made her pull back in surprise.

There, in his cold gray eyes, was a sadness that she could barely interpret and as he approached, she did the only thing that she could think of at the time. As he went to place both hands on either side of her body, no doubt meaning to threaten her into submission, she wrapped her arms around his neck.

There was a stunned moment when he tensed, his thin muscles pulling uncomfortably.

"What the hell are you doing?"

"Ah," she responded quietly, pulling away. He looked down upon her as he stood upright, wielding his wand in front as if she were actually a threat. Yes, she was most likely (in his eyes) scum under his Italian leather shoes, but regardless, she didn't feel that she was and that was enough. "You looked a bit sad."

"I looked a bit sad? Don't just go around hugging people, you filthy blood traitor." To his surprise, she didn't flinch or move, she simply watched him before looking back toward the tree.

-

He had been watching her. From the shadows of the staircase, he had waited for no reason, observing as the girl, for that was what she was, sat in the stillness of the common room alone, her sister having long since gone to bed.

He knew who she was, of course. Who wouldn't know Daphne's sister? Other than that, Asteria Greengrass was a mystery, but as he observed her, he realized that she truly wasn't all that puzzling.

There was something in her eyes that made her somewhat easy to read.

Draco Malfoy was an expert at reading people and she was no different from his powers of simple observation. From his analysis, she was saddened herself.

Therefore, why was she hugging him?

He had no intention to actually harm her. How could he? He was a gentleman of the highest order, so how could he lay a hex on a female? Particularly a female that was as thin and pale as she? No, he only meant to scare her into submission. Even so, she had outwitted him entirely.

The song was what had set him off. _'Ring the Bells'_. He knew it well. His mother had played the song every Christmas since he was a toddler. That song was his childhood, what little he had of it. A childhood that he didn't care to remember. Times when his family had laughed together were few and far between, but most of the time, they had been on Christmas. They were always a family on Christmas regardless of what rumors assumed. Now, his mother and father were trapped in their own home and it would be the first Christmas he had spent within the confines of the school.

"Traitor?" His attention turned back to the girl. "Yes, I suppose I am."

He gaped openly at her before hiding his shock behind his ever useful devil-may-care façade. "Admitting to it now?"

"I never denied it." She shrugged, turning her gaze from him back to the tree. There was an undeniable softness in her eyes that made him wonder just what she was thinking of when her eyes were on that large twinkling monstrosity. "Do you miss Christmas?"

"Miss what?" he asked, unsure if she had meant to ask him that. By the way that she raised her eyebrow, he suspected she did. "Do _I _miss Christmas?" he scoffed loudly, stepping away from her and falling onto the couch on the other side of the coffee table. Of course he did. He was human, wasn't he? "No. Why would I miss some stupid holiday?"

She nodded, "Why, indeed?" It came out as a sigh and he felt a sting of guilt.

Malfoys didn't feel guilt often and if they did the circumstances were few and far between. Just how could this little girl cause him to feel guilty? That shocked him less than what she said next.

"The music was drowning out the screams. It's too bad you broke it."

-

She almost felt the urge to look at him. There was the childlike excitement in her gut of being in close quarters with someone you fancy, even if she didn't fancy him in the slightest. She supposed that she was a bit deprived of men that even spoke to her. Her friends such as Graham Boot and Clint Merkel didn't count. They were more brothers than men. Malfoy though…

"I miss the dinner." Asteria snapped her head around to face him. His eyes were on the fire rather than the tree and the light danced in his eyes making him appear warmer and less like a man composed of ice. "The annual Malfoy Christmas dinner. That's what I miss." Malfoy seemed a bit shocked that he was deigning to answer her. Truthfully, she was surprised too.

"I miss our story time. As juvenile as that sounds, we would sit in front of our fire and tell stories. Every year we did it." He had to have known her parents were on the run. Everyone knew. She had even been 'questioned' at one point by the deranged Alecto Carrow. She missed her parents more than anything. Christmas wasn't Christmas without her family and while Daphne tried to fill the shoes, it was generally Asteria who took care of her and not the other way around. "We're not children anymore so I wonder if the meaning is still there or if it's gone like everything else."

They sat comfortably like that for a long while, a relaxed sense of peace fell over the two.

-

Draco noticed that she was beginning to fall asleep after an hour. Her head would drop down then her eyes would widen and she would lift her head again only for it to fall. The whole sight rather amusing him. To see her try and fight off something so essential as sleep gave him an inkling as to her character on the whole: a silent fighter.

When she finally nodded off, and her head did not rise, he thought through many options. He could just leave the girl there in the cold chill of the common room. He could wake her and tell her to drag her arse to bed. Or he could take her himself.

Declining all three, he opted for the easiest. Quietly as he could, which was dead silent for he was a master at stealth, he pulled a conjured blanket over her legs and shoulders before his eyes fell on her face.

His usual stony gaze softened for an instant as he took in her serene state.

For some reason, in that moment, he wondered if it would always be peaceful when she was around. Asteria Greengrass, with her faraway gaze, quiet voice, and steely resolve had made him block out the screams for a few hours. Regardless of her tiny frame and meek appearance, he could overlook her 'blood traitor' status and look upon her as something he never thought he would find, especially that Christmas.

A miracle.

-

Asteria awoke to the gentle prodding of her sister. Blearily, for she was not a morning person, she glared at the blonde who kneeled on the floor beside the couch. "Daphne, what is it?"

"You slept out here all night?"

Sitting up, she stretched and yawned, feeling the blanket fall from her chest. Shocked at the sensation, she glanced down. "I—l suppose I did." Had Malfoy—No, he couldn't have. More accurately, he _wouldn't_ have, right? Remembering herself, she glanced up into the worried eyes of her sister. "Oh, don't worry. No one bothered me." Not really, at least. "I got a decent night of rest."

"That's not it, Asteria. I just wanted to say Happy Christmass."

"Oh, yes. Happy Christmas."

* * *

**A/N:** Well, this will be a short little story with three chapters. One now, one Saturday, and Christmas Eve. I really hope that everyone enjoys this glimpse. Ah yes, I also wrote the song myself so no copyright infringement problems...Please leave me some feedback.

And: her name is Asteria because I felt that the variation fit her character.


	2. The Present

**Ring the Bells**

**By: OurLoveIsForever**

**Present**

A year passed without any interaction at all on either of their parts. Not that there was much time, with the war progressing as it was and Malfoy being pulled into more and more Death Eater activities there was little time for Asteria to even glance his way. When she did, she tried to ignore how her stomach would flip and her heart would speed out of control. That Christmas she knew she had seen a side of Draco Malfoy that no one else had. The experience made her wonder if she would ever see him like that again, relaxed and calm, serene.

But, like all things in the war, she lost sight of that wish. The final battle brought about sad ends and happy beginnings. Friends died with courage and families, like hers, were reunited. Well, her family was small one now. Smaller than it had been. Her father was murdered by Snatchers only three weeks before the end of the war.

And thus, time passed. There was no difference, no reason to differentiate that time from any other. It was a long season of recovery, loss and redemption for everyone, not just the Greengrass family. Each and every student at Hogwarts lost something in that horrible war. First to seventh years, smart and dumb, rich, poor, pure and muggle born...

Before anyone had time to think, Christmas had come around again. The entire Greengrass Manor was done up with garland and wreaths. Lights were magicked in every hall, on nearly every surface available. Asteria, who was never one to think such things at Christmas, thought her mother was trying too hard to make up for the loss, for the missing piece. Nonetheless, the general consensus was the same: that Christmas, there was hope.

Perhaps that was what she had lost sight of before, on that cold Christmas Eve in the Slytherin common room. She, and even Draco Malfoy himself, had lost sight of the hope that Christmas brought about. The hope that the future holidays would be better than the ones before.

"Asteria? Are you going to open your present?" Asteria's head lifted to watch her mother's smiling face. "Go on, baby, open it."

She did as she was told, sliding her fingers under the tape and meticulously pulled each piece of adhesive off before unfolding the paper.

"Honestly, just rip the paper for once in your life." Daphne sighed. "You always take forever to open your presents."

"The paper is beautiful. I don't want to rip it." The younger sister responded quietly, pulling the box from the paper before placing it on her lap. "What—"

She gently raised the wooden lid before letting out a long breath.

It was a beautiful little music box, something that she had never even seen before. The tune was immediately recognizable, shocking her so much that she nearly dropped the box to the hardwood floor before she caught it immediately. Upon examining it closer, she saw, in the enchanted glass inside that blocked the musical device inside from prying fingers, a brightly lit Christmas tree next to a fire. Her heart stopped. She knew that scene well. Too well. It had replayed in her mind over and over for the past year. Her eyes landed on the fireplace of her common room back at Hogwarts. The dancing flames enchanted her…much like he had…

"What is it?"

Her voice sang along with the chimes quietly, almost to herself.

'_We're going to bring Christmas back to life…_'

Daphne quite noticeably grabbed the card that had been placed on top and read it aloud. "Just don't sing it."

Asteria's mother raised an eyebrow. "That's it?"

"That's it. Asteria, who's that from?"

Asteria was far from listening. Her fingers pulled at a small slip of paper hiding in the under-portion of the lid. Scanning the neat script quickly, the corners of her lips twitched up before she stood. Vaguely, she heard her mother question what she was doing, where she was going. Hastily, she dropped the note in front of her sister before making her way to the cloaks and then to the fireplace.

"Meet me there. D. M…Draco? Draco Malfoy? Asteria, are you insane? Don't go meet him of all people! What in Merlin's name is wrong with you?" her sister practically shouted through the house. She could feel the floor boards shaking with Daphne's furious approach. It was too late to stop her though.

-

He watched the fire closely, a little shocked that he had been allowed by Headmistress McGonagall to use Hogwarts in such a fashion. Though a year did quite a bit for some people, mostly him, or so she thought. He was still very self-assured and proud, but he hardly had the hate he once did. How could he after everything that had happened? Thus, the Headmistress had pitied him and allowed this one night to pass.

That's not to mention that he bribed the board of governors. While they are all pompous asses who think they are above the appeal of money, they were just as human as everyone else. And they were very pliable when paid the correct sum.

Truthfully, he didn't know what drove him to do it. It may have been that he simply couldn't get her off his mind. And that was bloody frustrating. It could've also been the fact that his mates, including the ever-irritating Pansy, had threatened him to within an inch of his existence to seek the girl out, regardless of her age.

Thus, his plan began to form.

Currently, he was lounging in the same sofa as he had a year ago to that day, gazing at the fire as he once had and he was waiting for _her_. And he knew she would come. He was Draco Malfoy, after all. She wouldn't be able to resist him.

"I have to admit: that was clever." A voice said from the door. "I may never understand how you pulled it off."

He pulled his head up to give her a lopsided smirk. "You're late."

"There was no time on the parchment. Dare I say that I'm early." She had gotten more comfortable speaking? Good, he didn't like complete silence either though he doubted that any silence with her would be anything but relaxed. Her hands fidgeted slightly before she looked down to the floor. "Thank you for the gift, but I don't have one for you."

"You're here, aren't you?"

"But—"

Draco threw his legs off of the couch and placed his elbows on his knees as he leaned forward, his smirk still in place. "I've wanted to see you."

"Me?" She questioned as if shocked by the notion. It made him recoil slightly. Did she have so little self confidence or had he treated her harshly? No he had, after he officially met her that night, that is, tried to treat her with the upmost respect. The respect of a Malfoy was difficult to earn and yet somehow she was self-conscious. That would not do.

"Is that so hard to believe?"

"I—Yes, it is." Well, he had to give her one thing. She didn't beat around the bush.

"Well, how about this? You give me three dates to prove that I wanted to see you. If you don't want to have a relationship with me by then, I will leave you alone forever." But he would win. Losing was simply not an option.

No, he was filled with the spirit now. This spirit called itself 'hope'. He believed that his future could be brighter than the pitch of his past. There was a candle to light the way, after all. She stood in front of him. His hope was Asteria Greengrass and that would never change.

* * *

**A/N:** Fluff? Yes, please. I couldn't write too dark on Christmas. I hope that everyone enjoyed this chapter and will leave me some sort of review.

As for how Draco got in Hogwarts? That's fairly obvious. He bought his way in. Ever the manipulative snake.

Next chapter on Christmas Eve!


	3. The Future

**Ring the Bells**

**By: OurLoveIsForever**

**Future**

"Woah, are you kidding, Mum? Dad did _that_?" The twelve year old cringed at the word, making a face that told of its disgusting connotations. "And you agreed? What was wrong with you?"

"If I didn't agree, Scorpius, you wouldn't be here."

He paused a moment to let that fact settle in then raised an eyebrow. Asteria nearly laughed at that expression. Yes, he was too much like his father. "But, Mum, you let him trap you!"

"I would never use such underhanded tricks." Draco responded lowly, looking a bit sour at his son's lack of faith which was conveyed in a disbelieving stare. "Why don't you stop analyzing me and get back to opening your presents?" He turned his head toward where Asteria sat in the floor by the tree. "Remind me again why we had him?"

Scorpius looked appalled before smiling before shaking his head. "Oh, Dad, you're too funny." though it didn't sound as if the young boy found anything about his father very humorous. The cynical tone in his voice conveyed that much at least.

"I need to teach him when something's a joke." Draco drawled, catching a package that Asteria threw him from under the tree.

"He has your sense of humor." Her tone was soft, as it always had been, but with a bit more bite to it. Over the years, she had learned to handle Draco's wild sense of humor and sharp tongue with her own brand of wit. After three years of dating and over ten years of marriage, they had nearly become one. And with Scorpius, they were a family. "Scorpius, what's this?" She pulled a small box from under the tree skirt.

Both parents nearly fell over when their son blushed crimson. "That's just a trifle. Nothing, really." He tried to play it off with a shrug reaching for the nameless gift.

"Scorpius—" Draco's warning tone.

"'s for Rose Weasley."

Stunned silence.

-

When the youngest Malfoy had been laid to sleep, underneath his enchanted ceiling of beautiful stars, his parents began to clean up the mess. The silence that permeated the den of Malfoy Manor was comfortable and happy, relaxed and calm. Snow could be seen falling outside and the Christmas tree twinkled gaily in the window reflection.

Asteria jerked in surprise when a simple melody broke the hush settled throughout the house. She turned to see her husband smirking at her with his eyebrows raised. "Are you romancing me, Mister Malfoy?"

"I see no need to." Draco said, in all seriousness. "Do you miss anything right now, Asteria?"

She smiled, glancing at the pictures along the mantle above the fireplace. Her father. His father. A few of his friends and her friends. Did she miss them? No, she didn't because they were with her everyday in one way or another. Gently, she shook her head. "No, Draco, I don't miss anything."

"Good. Now come here, I believe it is time for _me_ to open _my_ presents." She raised an eyebrow. He smirked.

So it goes.

-

Christmas isn't about the presents received nor is it about the flashing lights or magical sights. No, Christmas means so much more than that. It is a time for hope. It is a time for reflection on past events, courage for the current events and hope for future events. Hold those that are dear close to your heart during this beautiful time of the year and treasure each and every moment. Make it count.

As Draco and Asteria have shown us this holiday season: _love_ is the greatest gift of all.

Happy Christmas.

* * *

**A/N:** Yes, as our narrator states: Happy Christmas. This is the final chapter, of course. Thank you everyone for the reviews. I have been too busy to reply to reviews, but I do want to say that I appreciate every word I recieve. Each time I recieve a review, it is like recieving a gift! Thank you all for everything.

I have a New Year one-shot coming soon!

'So it goes' was something I always wanted to use in a fiction. It is a homage to Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse-Five and just seemed to fit perfectly. I wanted it to be a bit a sudden but convincing end. A snapshot of life.


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